Primordial – Exile Amongst the RuinsA remarkable return to form after a disappointing album, this Irish metal band is sure to end somewhere near the top of this year’s lists (RP – SftDS review).~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shame – Songs of Praise It’s summer and I still got a lot of pent-up energy. So take it to the floor and let’s rock (WRM – SftDS review).~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Orphaned Land – Unsung Prophets & Dead MessiahsOn Unsung Prophets, Orphaned Land return to the sound that made them so popular in the first place, with a perfect marriage between heavy metal, death metal and traditional sounds (RP – SftDS review).~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Summoning – With Doom We ComeThe Swiss duo doesn’t release many albums, but when they do you can count on a remarkable collection of songs. With Doom We Come is no exception (RP – SftDS review).~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tribulation – Down BelowDown Below is one of the early highlights of 2018, featuring shorter songs with a sense of immediacy to them. A good blend of death metal and rock ‘n roll (RP).~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nils Frahm – All MelodyAll Melody is a good example of how classic meets electronica, and thus is a celebration of Frahm’s core competence: melting his own unconventional imagination into modernity (WRM – SftDS review).~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ghost – PrequellePrequelle might be Ghost’s most commercially sounding album yet, but it might also be their best and is sure to increase the band’s popularity (RP).~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~